Hawk
by Galia
Summary: Why was Numair spying on Lord Sinthya before Wild Magic? How did it go, and how did he wind up stuck in hawn form? Read (and review) to find out!
1. Insomniac

A/N: I forgot to put a disclaimer on one of my stories, and you know what? Nobody sued me! How do you like that? But I'd still like to say that any idiot who's read the Tamora Pierce books knows that these characters aren't mine, and I know it, so don't sue me! 

Wait, a few of the characters _are_ mine, such as Radinel the steward and Agisa (say that AG-iss-uh, kind of like Agatha). 

Numair is the kind of person who gets bored when he doesn't have something to do, and a lot of this story is based on that.

I think this story is kind of slow in the beginning, but it picks up in the end. Also, the first-person may feel kind of strange but then so am I.

Another early spring thunderstorm was pummeling the palace. That particular day, I had been planning a complicated experiment. However, I was quite tired, and long hours of magic had depleted my Gift. A basic spell was required to prepare my working area, and it simply would not work properly. In three attempts, I had cracked a glass jar, scorched the table, and sent my best quill into another dimension. Taking a deep breath, I prepared myself to try again.

I focused on the spell…nothing. A frown creased my forehead. This wasn't right; I had sufficient amounts of my Gift left for this. I tried to concentrate on the spell, but my mind drifted off, perhaps to join my quill. Admitting defeat, I sank onto my stool and put my head in my hands.

I simply couldn't put my finger on my problem. Maybe the almost constant thunder was distracting me. Or perhaps I was just too tired. It had been days since I'd had a good night's rest.

Abandoning my spell, I stumbled to the door—when had night fallen? I had entered my workroom early in the morning! I heaved a sigh, thoroughly exhausted, and opened my door.

However, it was not my door.

Muttering an apology to the man who I had disturbed, I trudged along the torch-lit passage for a few more feet. Before opening my door, I verified that the nameplate did indeed read "Numair Salmalín, Mage."

Although the sun had not yet risen when I left my room after a restless night, I had not remembered to light my lamp. Simultaneously cursing and thanking myself, I tumbled into the bed without bothering to remove my clothes. 

I labored to find a comfortable position on a mattress that had seemed to turn to stone. My bed was wide enough for me to stretch out my arms and not reach either side, and I did this now, in a futile quest for the magic position. If only I had a healing gift! I thought desperately. When I turned onto my back, the covers all fell to the floor. I felt for them, but the floor was too far away and I just wanted to go to sleep.

I rolled over one last time and fell off the bed. That was the final straw. I got to my feet, cursing as I hadn't in years, and promptly fell down again, my feet entwined in the covers. My head made a sharp connection with the corner of the desk, and I rubbed the sore spot as I lurched to my feet, moaning.

Maybe I should have lit a candle to help me cross the dark chamber, but the way I had been lately, I would surely have burned my hand or spilled wax on the floor. Instead, I fought my way around unseen obstacles and finally made my way out into the dimly lit hallway.

More sure of my path now that I had light, I strode angrily to Alanna's room. Why Gainel was hiding from me, I didn't know, but I was determined to find him as soon as possible. I only hoped the Lioness would help me.

"Alanna!" I called, pounding on the door. "Let me in!"

Scuffling and footsteps could be heard from within, the room, but I continued to pummel her door. Finally it opened, and my small friend was leveling her sword at me.

The sword went back in its sheath when she saw my face. "By the Goddess, Numair! Have you any idea what time it is?"

"I know what time it is," I replied angrily. "It's time for me to sleep for the first time in an extremely long week. Please, Alanna, put me under a sleeping spell. I would do anything."

The champion quietly closed the door and led me to my room. "I knew something was wrong. I've hardly seen you in days! What's the matter?"

We reached my door and went into my room. Alanna lit my fire with her Gift. "I have no idea. I've been feeling out of sorts lately, I haven't been able to get to sleep, and my desire to do anything is completely gone."

"Maybe you've been holed up in your workroom too long, and your experiments are starting to affect your brain," she retorted, grinning. "You like it in there too much. There's a sun out there; you should really pay it a visit."

I shook my head, too exhausted to laugh. "That's another thing that's bothering me. I have no wish to do anything, even magic. I don't know what I want to do, I just know that I _don't_ want to do anything."

Alanna frowned and shook her head. "Do you think your symptoms are feeding off each other? You couldn't get to sleep one day, so you were tired, and didn't feel like working, which made you agitated, so you didn't want to eat, so you were hungry, and then you couldn't get to sleep?"

"It's possible, I suppose," I admitted, skeptical of the whole idea, "but I think I just need something important to do. My little experiments aren't really worth anything."

Maybe Alanna saw my bleary eyes, or my pale complexion, or maybe she heard the pleading in my voice. "Let's just get you to sleep now and figure the whole thing out later. Lay down."

I obeyed, casting her a grateful look. She pulled a stool over to my bedside while I rearranged the covers on top of me.

"Goodnight, Numair," she said as she took my hand. I felt coolness overcome my body, and then I fell at last into a gratifying slumber.

Well? I know that part's kind of boring but as hard as I try I can't write all action. The next parts should be better.


	2. A Meeting with the King

A/N: I forgot to put a disclaimer on one of my stories, and you know what? Nobody sued me! How do you like that? But I'd still like to say that any idiot who's read the Tamora Pierce books knows that these characters aren't mine, and I know it, so don't sue me! 

"Numair? Numair, wake up." I felt a hand shake me, rousing me from my dream of falling through an infinite shadowy abyss. With some effort, I opened my eyes and saw a pair of violet ones staring back at me. I smiled feebly at Alanna.

"Thank you. How long have I been asleep? I feel as if I've been trampled by an entire army!"

Her outline was fuzzy, but I could tell that she looked at me sadly. "You've only had a few hours. It's almost dawn."

I frowned, trying to comprehend. "What's wrong? Why did you wake me?" Maybe something terrible had happened. I forced myself to sit up.

Alanna sighed. "I know you need your sleep, but Jon needs your help. As soon as you get dressed, he wants to see you in his study." She must have seen my face go pale, for she added, "I'm sorry, I really am. But he said he can't get anyone else. Besides, this may be just the thing for you."

With a sigh and a nod, I pushed back the covers and sat on the side of the bed. She handed me a mug of strong tea, and I drank it gratefully. When I finished, she took it back and gave me a hug.

"Good luck, Numair," she said. "I hope you won't need it." I smiled at her and she left, closing the door softly.

I rose too quickly, and for a moment my vision went dark and I clutched the wall. Once I had regained my balance, I got dressed as quickly as possible. With fumbling fingers, I tied on my belt-purse and black opal pendant. Just in case, I extinguished the lamps before leaving my room.

The king, I knew from experience, could be found in his study at this time of the morning. Sure enough, he was standing in front of the fire when I arrived, his back to me. 

"Jon?" I said when he didn't turn around. When he faced me, he was smiling, but his eyes looked worried.

"Good morning, Numair," he said, sitting down at his desk. He motioned to me and I sank in a chair facing him. I glared back, and he chuckled.

"I'm sorry I got you out of bed so early, but this is important."

I growled, in no mood for civility. "It had better be. Have you any idea how little sleep I've had in the past week?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Would you care to tell me?"

I sighed. "If I said nothing, I would be giving you accurate information." Maybe this was pushing my luck a bit, but he just shook his head.

"What have you been working on that is so important you have been neglecting your health?" For a minute I could clearly see my father looking back at me with level blue eyes.

"Thanks for not putting it past me, but no. I've just had a stint with insomnia lately, and about a week ago it started to worsen." Seeing his frown, I added, "I'm prepared for whatever you need me to do. Truthfully."

He nodded and handed me a sheaf of papers. I read them while he spoke.

"I'm sending you on an infiltration mission. Some of those you have seen before," he told me, indicating the documents with a sweep of his hand. The ones he mentioned were regarding trouble with the Lord of Sinthya. I briefly skimmed the reports, which described various suspicious activities, all of which suggested—but did not prove—that fief Sinthya was collaborating with Carthak.

"I see them," I replied, "But they don't explain what I'm doing. The information here is hardly enough to necessitate a search warrant, and even if it were, you wouldn't need me. Is there something new?"

Jon shook his head. "That's why I'm sending you, and not a regular spy. We have nothing to go on but suspicions." He paused, and I noticed him tapping his finger on the desk. So he was worried. This was not a good sign, not at all.

Abruptly he continued. "Whatever he's doing is being done in the utmost secrecy, so that we can't possibly investigate lawfully. But if you can get the necessary information without being discovered—"

"I still don't understand why you can't send any Gifted spy! Why are you acting like I'm the only one who could sneak in under an invisibility spell and snatch a few papers?"

The king rose to his feet and started pacing in front of the fire. I stayed where I was, gripping the arms of my chair with white-knuckles hands. He was so transparently agitated! But nothing he had said so far explained why.

He turned to face me. "This is completely different from any other mission. We can't give you an undercover identity; you'll have to me invisible the entire time. Take a look at the list," he said, and I fumbled for the list of evidence I needed to retrieve for him. I paled when I saw it…document upon obscure document, almost nothing easily obtainable. I looked up at him.

"You're trying to tell me that I have to remain invisible long enough to get all of this! Not to mention the difficulties of procuring…what is this, private correspondence, papers that have been _burned_…Jon, what kind of a superhuman do you think I am?" 

When he dropped back into his seat, I could tell he was almost as worried as I was. "That's not the only tricky part."

"Oh really?" I was more than a little annoyed with him by now. "If magically recovering burnt letters while exhausted from an invisibility spell of who knows how long, then, pray tell, what _is_?"

He sighed heavily, and I instantly regretted my harsh words. "If you're caught, I can't claim any responsibility for your actions." I stared at him blankly. Surely that was impossible. "My sending you is completely prohibited by the laws of the realm. You know that."

I nodded. "But this must be important, whatever these…speculations suggest. Otherwise, I hope you wouldn't send me on such a dangerous mission." He smiled.

"Thanks for being understanding." A large stack of papers stood unsteadily on his desk, and he handed me the top one of these before showing me to the door.

"Here's your timeframe for the assignment. You leave in an hour, and I'll expect you back in three weeks, or in magical contact at the very least." I rubbed my temples. Three weeks was a long time to use my Gift continuously. 

Jon moved to open the door and hesitated. "I have some suggestions." I looked at him. "I sent you not only because I need your power, but also because I need your sense. If you read the briefing papers more carefully…"

_And when would I have time to do that?_

"…you will see that many details of recovery are rather imprecise. I need you to use your judgment in more matters than most missions. Including that of your Gift. Conserve it any way you can. Maybe you could shape-shift during the night, or find a safe place to let your spells down for a few hours." He clapped me on the back and opened the door. "Tortall is counting on you. I think you're up to it."

"Not being _too_ melodramatic, are we now, Jon?" I teased. Now that I was properly awake, I began to regard the entire thing as an adventure, a chance to test myself.

Alanna was gone when I got back, to my great relief. I washed and dressed, feeling better than I had for a long time. Maybe I just needed something to do.

In half an hour I was in the kitchens, persuading a cook to give me some breakfast. 

In another thirty minutes, I was at the stables, clumsily saddling Spots. As I mounted, I thought how much the poor animal had to put up with me as a rider. I swore to myself that one day, I would have Onua teach me to ride properly.

Ok, that's the last slow chapter before the action starts. I'm sorry! I really am!


	3. The Difficult Spells

A/N: I forgot to put a disclaimer on one of my stories, and you know what? Nobody sued me! How do you like that? But I'd still like to say that any idiot who's read the Tamora Pierce books knows that these characters aren't mine, and I know it, so don't sue me! 

Wait, a few of the characters _are_ mine, such as Radinel the steward and Agisa (say that AG-iss-uh, kind of like Agatha). 

The first night, I traveled until there wasn't enough light to see by. I dismounted, rubbing my sore behind. Spots deserved a treat, and I found a carrot for him in the pack of food the king had provided for my journey. I would be on my own once I got to fief Sinthya.

Once my horse was tied and my tent pitched, I collected some wood and made a fire with my Gift. Though the day had been pleasant, the temperature had begun to drop rapidly after sunset, and I was grateful for the fire's warmth. All in all, it was a rather pleasant night, spent relaxing in front of a fire and reading my information. In one of my last moments of comfort and safety, I tried not to think about the mission ahead.

All too soon, I had arrived at the border of fief Sinthya. I had traveled lightly, and had only two small bags to stash—under magical protections, naturally—in a hollow tree. I kept only the clothes I was wearing and the most vital of my mission papers.

"Here I go," I said to no one in particular as I shape-shifted into a hawk.

I'm not at all sure why, but it's always been easier for me to become a large, black hawk than any other type of animal. However, if some unseen magical force was going to make my project a little bit easier, who was I to argue?

As I flew high over the fief, I couldn't help but enjoy myself. The land was not the most beautiful; in fact, it was mostly swamp. But the trees were bedecked in green for summer and it was really a lovely day. Being a bird, I was free to express my joy with loud caws, which were answered by the local hawks. Not knowing enough about my winged friends to know whether they were welcoming me or attempting to drive me away, I smiled inwardly and fell silent.

Finally, I caught a glimpse of the Lord's residence. It was a rather imposing stone fortress, rising high above the marshy lands—not at all in tune with the terrain around it. I found an acceptable wooded copse to land in and did so, trying not to scratch myself on the abundant brambles.

The grove was thick, and I was quite confident that I was hidden from outside view. I changed back into human form, taking care to bring all my clothes and documents with me. Once transformed, I took out the paper that listed what papers I needed to procure, in order of expected difficulty. The two items at the top were letters of the lord's. Mages at the palace had verified that they had been burned, but from that distance, the spells needed to reassemble the papers were impossible, even with the strongest Gift. In fact, if I tried to work the spell from anywhere but the same fireplace where the documents had been burned, even the next room over, I ran a high risk of failure. As Jon had told me, that was a risk I could not take.

I should start with the hardest ones now, I thought, before my Gift runs low. After memorizing all the known information about the burned letters, I slipped the paper back into my pocket and began a strong invisibility spell. Lord Sinthya would doubtlessly have mages roaming his castle, and I could not take the chance of being seen.

Once properly invisible, I left the thicket and silently entered the castle through the kitchen door. One could usually find some talkative servants, and I needed to know when I could expect the lord's study to be occupied. It was fairly simple to assemble a story from the bits and pieces of information I gathered from the servants.

"Kal," one cook instructed her helper, "be a dear and run down to the mill for more cake flour?"

A young man walked into the kitchen and was immediately tossed an apron. "Get moving," an older man growled. "The little lady turns ten _tonight_, not next week!"

I realized that they must be talking about the lord's daughter. The two men walked away to the other side of the kitchen, and I turned my attention back to the first cook and her helper.

"Thank you," she said as the boy returned, panting and carrying a large sack of flour. Seemingly, he had run all the way from the mill. The woman continued to talk, half to him and half to herself. "I don't know what the poor girl will do if her daddy's not home in time for dinner," she said.

I grinned. So the lord was away from home! That solved more problems than I could imagine. Dodging cooks and helpers in the bustling kitchen, I found the door to the servants' dining hall. Choosing a post in the corner, I kept my ears open for conversations.

In only an hour, I learned from a young woman that her friend, named Agisa, was assigned the task of cleaning the study. But first, she had to clean the master bedroom in time for the lord's return. Just as Agisa's acquaintance finished detailing the other woman's schedule to an interested male companion, the woman herself came in and was greeted warmly by several people.

Calculating in my head, I gave Agisa half an hour to eat and an hour and a half to clean the bedroom, giving me two hours for this working. It would be close, but I knew it was possible if I encountered no setbacks.

Naturally, the second the thought crossed my mind a small man with an authoritative walk came into the servants' dining room and closed the door behind him.

_Perfect_, I thought. _I can't open that without being seen, and it's the only way out of this room._

As luck would have it, the man (who would later be identified to me as the steward of Sinthya) had come to inform the servants of the fief's plans regarding Carthak. Before he spoke to the room at large, he singled out a few men and women and had a whispered conversation in the corner. I silently left my position for one within earshot of their little group.

"Master Radinel," one of the women asked, "are you positive it's safe to tell them? One of them might be a spy for the king—you know his spies reported to him about the Carthaki soldiers."

"Any one of the visitors to this fief could have told the king that he had Carthaki guards," the man known as Radinel said impatiently. "I trust these servants, and I want them on the lookout for spies like the ones who took the diamond mine papers!"

For a second I couldn't remember what he was talking about. Then I recalled reading a copy of an accounts sheet, which revealed secret diamond mines somewhere in all that swamp. Under normal circumstances, such assets would be reported to the king as soon as they were discovered, but Sinthya's accounts showed that the products of these mines had been sold directly to Carthak, without the Crown's knowledge.

The meeting of the servants lasted about half an hour. I didn't learn anything by listening to Master Radinel that had not been covered in my information. Feeling cheated out of a golden opportunity, I slipped out the door the second it was opened and walked as quickly as I could without making noise to the lord's study.

The study opened onto a small, isolated hallway. I was relieved to find it empty when I arrived. It was no trouble to slip into the study, and I used my Gift to lock the door using the normal lock, in case someone came near. Not only would I have plenty of time to cast an invisibility spell once I heard the key in the lock, but if I cast a spell on the door it would only draw the attention of any passing mage. 

Once safe inside, I shed my spell with relief. It was a simple spell, but a tiring one. Instead, I turned my attention to the cold embers of the hearth. That would not do. I started a cheery fire and sat cross-legged next to the fireplace, leaning my back against the wall. I could sit up straight now, but who knew what shape I'd be in once this spell was over?

Reaching seep inside myself for my magic, I carefully detached my magical self from the flow of time. Once out of the current, I could navigate as I chose, and staying in the study, I let days slip by me until I was at the moment I needed. I stopped floating when I saw the lord get up from his desk with papers in hand. In a frozen moment, my magical essence crossed the room and looked at the documents. They were, indeed, the two items I had come here to retrieve.

Now came the difficult part. I let time pass a bit more until the papers had been completely consumed by the flames, setting up an invisibility spell between the fireplace and the desk in the meantime. Struggling to hold on to the spell that let me go where I pleased in time and the charm that would keep my next working hidden from view, I sent my magic into the ashes below the flames, calling for the most recent. 

Slowly at first, then faster, the ashes of the materials most recently burned snaked their way out of the hearth and onto the stone floor. I settled my magical self next to them and began to reverse the burning. This was an extremely difficult task, and I worked as fast as I could without making mistakes. 

Soon, what had once been a pile of ashes had become two slightly charred pieces of paper and several chunks of wood. I dropped the invisibility spell, hoping the lord would not notice when the wood suddenly appeared in front of the fireplace. While my magical spirit could do anything magically that my human self could, it was unable to perform any task requiring a body. This disadvantage was minimal compared to the benefit of the magical being's invisibility.

Magically towing the papers behind it, my spirit returned to my body and I opened my eyes. Soon afterwards the papers appeared in my hands. Tucking them into my pocket, I took note of the state of my Gift.

_It might not be enough to hold an invisibility spell,_ I thought, worried, _but I'm fairly certain I can get a shape-shift out of it._

Comforted, I pulled my tired body to its feet on the nearest piece of furniture. My shirt was soaked with sweat, and my hair was plastered to my neck. When I extinguished the hearth fire, it was as much for my own comfort as for the sake of hiding the remains of my presence. 

But before I could begin to shift, I heard the click of a key in the latch. Glancing at my watch, I saw that I had correctly estimated the amount of time it would take a single maid to clean a bedroom, but the thought was little consolation to me now.

With my Gift nearly used up, it would take more time than I had to assume any form. Instead, I thought outside of the box, and sent my magic into the next room. I used a variant of the spell used by many mages, myself included, to hang up cloaks and fetch books. However, it was a bit trickier to move objects that I could not see. Taking a chance, I knocked down the first item I could reach, and it shattered with a satisfying crash. Even more pleasing was the sound of quick footsteps away from the door to the study and into the next room.

Using the time I had bought myself, I shape-shifted, this time into a sparrow. It took me a full minute and a half. Thankfully, Agisa was still cleaning up in the next room when I took flight out the window.

Now _that's_ what I like! Magic and danger! Please review, and flames are entirely welcome. Of course, if you like it, that's even better.


	4. The Plot is Revealed!

A/N: I forgot to put a disclaimer on one of my stories, and you know what? Nobody sued me! How do you like that? But I'd still like to say that any idiot who's read the Tamora Pierce books knows that these characters aren't mine, and I know it, so don't sue me! 

Exhausted as I was, I still couldn't sleep out in the open with no protection. I wearily sprinkled some magical herbs I carried in a large circle, giving myself enough space to pitch a tent and have a fire. Once I had whispered the appropriate spell words, my camp was invisible and impenetrable. 

I continued on like this for weeks. The only difficult part was avoiding the mages—I wasn't sure if any of them were powerful enough to see through my spell. But procurement of the rest of the evidence went smoothly.

By reading and listening, I learned that Sinthya was dealing with Carthak with more than just diamonds. Carthaki soldiers were posted all around the fief, and more were being brought in every week. I overheard a private conversation between Radinel and Lord Sinthya that went something like this:

"Have the latest reinforcements arrived?" That was the lord.

"Yes, sir, and all are ready at their posts. We should be prepared to take the capital within the year."

"And the emperor has left no chance for error, I assume?"

"You assume correctly, your lordship."

"We must keep a very close watch on these soldiers. One may escape unnoticed and inform the king of our plans."

"Very good, sir. There is a list of every soldier Carthak has sent since last August in your study. Would you like me to get it?"

"Shortly. For now, though, I'd like you to help me look over this list of supplies and see if I missed anything."

Before he had finished, I was already striding down the hall to the study. The roll of soldiers was in plain view on the top of the desk. Borrowing a blank piece of paper from the ample stack, I hurriedly scribbled the name of every soldier on the list, as well as making a magical copy of the imperial seal of Carthak and the handwritten note from Emperor Ozorne. I had to resist the urge to spit on it.

_Above and beyond the call of duty,_ I thought with wry good humor as I trotted along the hallway under an invisibility spell. Once outside, I immediately took hawk form, since nobody war in sight. Although it was only early afternoon, I decided to take the rest of the day off. There were only five uncollected items on my assignment sheet, and I still had a week until I was going to be picked up.

It was another beautiful day, I noted as I flew over the land. Even the marshes were alive with color. I spotted the tree that marked my camp, and something else as well. A woman with a large dog was walking down the road, away from the fief. I opened my beak in my closest approximation of a hawk's grin and swooped down.

The woman jumped a mile when I alighted on her shoulder. I gently tugged a bit of her hair with my beak, and she laughed.

"Be human, Numair," she said. "It would hardly do for me to be talking to a bird!"

I shifted back to human form, grinning. She reached up to hug me, and I bent down to make it easier on her. 

"Come into my camp and visit, Onua," I offered. "I've been very lonely these past two weeks."

"Come on, Tahoi," she called to the dog. He obediently followed her into my circle of protection, and I closed it. 

"How's the mission going?" Onua asked, sitting down on a log in front of my cold fireplace. She lit the fire with her Gift as I rummaged through the food bag, looking for something interesting.

"Not too badly," I replied. "I don't have too much left, and none of it should be too hard." I threw out some rotten beef and took out a packet of slightly fresher chicken. Onua wrinkled her nose.

"You don't want to eat that when I've got _fresh_ venison, do you?" she asked, waving another packet in front of my nose. I grinned and sniffed.

"Oh, please, please, please," I said in a dog-type voice, pawing at her knee like a dog. She laughed and scratched me behind my ears. Acting like a dog always makes her laugh. I tell myself it's worth the humiliation, but I'm not sure if I believe me.

Ok, not long to go! Only a chapter or two left! Then you can review, riiiiiiight?


	5. Enemy Mages

A/N: I forgot to put a disclaimer on one of my stories, and you know what? Nobody sued me! How do you like that? But I'd still like to say that any idiot who's read the Tamora Pierce books knows that these characters aren't mine, and I know it, so don't sue me! 

I was sorry to see Onua leave an hour later. Human companionship is something I never miss until it's gone.

I was able to find the next three items on my list fairly easily. Two days before my arranged pick-up, I flew toward the castle for what I hoped was the last time.

It was early in the morning, and there was nobody in sight when I landed outside the back door. At that moment, I made my biggest mistake of the mission. Once human, I saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye before I ducked into the shadows of the entrance.

I had been seen.

_Breathe,_ I told myself. _It was probably just a gardener, and he thinks I'm a servant. No catastrophe._

Would a gardener duck behind a wall to avoid being seen by another servant? Had the man seen me change from hawk to human? Before I found out the answers, it would be too late.

Determined to finish my mission and get out of Sinthya before the man could do anything about his discovery, I headed directly toward the clerk's offices without scrying my surroundings. This was another mistake.

As I turned a corner, strong arms caught me and covered my mouth with a foul smelling cloth. I knew the sharp odor was bad news, but didn't even have time to hold my breath before my vision went black.

I fought back into consciousness and found myself in a small, bare stone chamber. At once I was thankful that I had memorized my mission sheet; I hadn't been carrying any papers of importance. 

I felt for my Gift and felt nothing. Looking around more carefully, I saw magical runes scratched into the walls. I was in a cell that disabled the Gift, like the ones Ozorne kept in Carthak. 

Footsteps and low voices echoed down some corridor, coming closer and closer to my prison. 

"And here I am, helpless," I whispered to myself. 

The footsteps halted and the door opened, revealing two were mages with whom I had studied in Carthak, and one stormwing. My two former friends, Sieran and Galor, smiled unpleasantly.

"Hello, Draper," Sieran sneered, walking slowly toward me. "I see you've been busy betraying your country."

His face was inches away from mine, smiling scornfully. I glared at him and opened my mouth to give an angry reply and he shoved something in my mouth.

Whatever it was, it tasted worse, if that was possible, than what they had used on me earlier. I tried to spit it out, but it had slipped down my throat. The mages and the stormwing laughed. 

"He'll be unconscious in a few minutes," Galor told the stormwing. "He'll awake ready to tell everything." Sieran seized my arm and dragged me out of the cell. 

The second I felt my magic return, I shifted into a hawk. Sieran cursed and made a grab for me, which I dodged.

"Did we know he could do that?" Galor asked nobody in particular.

The second I had assumed the form, I realized it was a bad idea. Whatever drugs they had given me were taking hold fast. _I should have become a larger animal,_ I thought belatedly. 

The dungeons around me began to swim in my vision. I clumsily took flight toward the only light I could see. Galor chased after me, but as fuzzy as my head felt, I still managed to avoid him.

My heart pounded in my ears as I found a window and flew into the bright sunlight. "Get your nation out looking for him, _now_," Sieran ordered the stormwing. "Do _not_ let him get away!"

I concentrated with my entire mind on getting away, just flying away from the castle. A few minutes later, I heard the stormwing nation take off. They could fly faster than I could, and soon they were too close for comfort.

By this time I was having trouble flying in a straight line. The head stormwing, the one whom I had met in the dungeons, took advantage of that and flew in close. It was all I could do to keep from bumping his razor sharp feathers.

While I concentrated on avoiding the head stormwing, I didn't notice another sneak up behind me until he seized my wing in his claws. I tried to wrench it out of his grasp and felt a sickening snap as the delicate bones broke. The stormwing held on tightly as I struggled, until I snapped at his face with my beak. He let go of me, and I plummeted down into the trees.

I couldn't tell which way was up until I hit the forest floor with a gasp and another crack of my wing. Craning my neck to see the sky, I saw that the stormwings had organized into search parties. A lone hawk sitting on the ground was an easy target. Trying to separate the swirling blots of color I saw into clear objects, I spotted a hollow log and carefully crawled inside. 

I couldn't tell if I had stopped moving or not. The dizziness from the drugs and from the broken wing were turning my world on its ear. I wasn't aware of much until I felt something pull me out of the log.

Why was I in the log? I wondered. Oh yes, I remembered, the stormwings. I looked up at my captor and concentrated on him or her with great difficulty. The face would not come into focus, but in some corner of my mind I realized that I was not being held by the cold steel of stormwing claws. It was this realization that held back my cries when whatever held me did something that caused great pain to my wing. I was content to trust this person's good intentions. I would not know the wisdom of this until later.

Weak, huh? Well, whatever. Now I have less creative liberty so it's going to suck, but I'm trying. Really. So review!


	6. Back to Human Life

A/N: I forgot to put a disclaimer on one of my stories, and you know what? Nobody sued me! How do you like that? But I'd still like to say that any idiot who's read the Tamora Pierce books knows that these characters aren't mine, and I know it, so don't sue me! 

The next few days were a blur of swirling colors and comforting voices. Two people were caring for me, but I couldn't recognize them, although one seemed very familiar.

At one point, somebody gave me something to eat, and I accepted. I instantly regretted it, and the food came up soon after. After that, I slipped into a world where nothing made sense. I had strange visions and nightmares.

I remember the first thing I could make clear sense of was Alanna's magic, hooking into mine. I told her that I was stuck, and dizzy, and that the king would be angry because I had failed to get the last two items on my list. Next, I heard a sound I knew all too well—the champion roaring at me. The familiar voice made me feel almost like myself again.

Alanna called several other people into the tent where she had been examining me. With my increasing comprehension of the world, I recognized faces: Onua, back from Cría, Alanna, glaring at me, and one person I couldn't name. With a jolt I realized that this was the face of my other caretaker and my first rescuer.She looked young and scared.

Alanna gave her instructions. The girl argued for a while, but Alanna persisted. Finally, she turned her back and I _felt_, not heard, someone calling my name. 

It was all I needed to get a firm grip on reality. I felt myself come back to human formation, and finally my surroundings seemed logical. I was on a bed in a tent, but not my own tent. Alanna pulled up a blanket, and Onua and the girl stared at me. I was suddenly aware of an aching hunger.

"Can I have something to eat?" I asked.

And the rest is history! Well? You like? You don't like? Review! Please! Thank you!


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